Attorney General's Shooting Response Team Investigates Fatal Officer-Involved Shooting in Princeton

PRINCETON, N.J. – The Attorney General’s Shooting Response Team is conducting an investigation into the circumstances of a shooting yesterday afternoon in Princeton in which police fatally shot a man who entered a restaurant with a gun, leading to a lengthy standoff with officers.

According to the preliminary investigation, the incident began shortly after 10 a.m. yesterday when the armed man entered Panera Bread on Nassau Street, across from the Princeton University campus. Customers and employees were able to flee the building, and police secured the perimeter of the restaurant. The standoff between police and the armed man in the restaurant continued for several hours, during which negotiators attempted unsuccessfully to get the suspect to surrender peacefully. The standoff ended shortly before 3 p.m. when the suspect was fatally shot by police. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

The deceased man has been identified as Scott Mielentz, 56, who formerly lived in Newtown, Pa., and most recently lived in Lawrenceville, N.J. No further details of the shooting are being released at this time due to the ongoing investigation.

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